


hey, that's no way to say goodbye

by diebusmine



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Friendship, Fun, Hyuckhei, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Light Angst, M/M, Orphans, Slice of Life, but not really, chensung - Freeform, lumark, markhyuck, miss riesoe says hi, orphan dreamies, really fun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-04-30 05:36:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14489961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diebusmine/pseuds/diebusmine
Summary: “You incline any further and you’ll fall flat on your face, Hyuck,” Jaemin snickers while walking towards them. He leans on the railing too, watches the boy having a hard time dragging his huge suitcase on the uneven pavement.Donghyuck squints harder. “What’s his name again? Milo? Mandy? Minho?”“Mark.”





	hey, that's no way to say goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> im back w another chaptered fic. forget my previous unfinished fics. when i make another chaptered fic after this one, u bet my ass ill tell u to forget this too!!!
> 
> also idk how an orphanage works so im sorry in advance. are they still even a thing rn? or have foster homes taken over the league. just... just dont think about it. just imagine a tiny town w a run-down orphanage and thats it
> 
> i want to thank lily for... beta-ing (or whatever its called) while i was away rotting in a hospital bed. i still am but the birds are chirping
> 
>  
> 
> let me just use this opportunity to say i am terribly sorry for that one dumb shit i uploaded in here. i swear the tags werent for hyuckhei but for us and the antis. im sorry. yeah fuck me that was really dumb. im really really sorry
> 
>  
> 
> this is totally different from how and what i usually write so idk.... please enjoy

 

 

 

Miss Riesoe’s voice booms inside huge the orphanage, and all the other boys run down the long flight of stairs into the huge kitchen, because an angry Miss Riesoe is a scary Miss Riesoe - and everyone who’s lived in the orphanage for five seconds max should know that.

  
Donghyuck knows it as well as the rest of them, but he doesn’t run with the other boys. Donghyuck is convinced that one tiny stumble and all of them will go tumbling down like dominos, dying from either a broken leg or neck. Chen Le is usually there to argue with him that a broken leg won’t kill a person but he’s already downstairs with the other kids, with good old Miss Riesoe in all her glory, probably already saying their graces. Donghyuck doesn’t do that.

 

Donghyuck always waits for a good three minutes before actually getting up, just _because._

But he can already hear Miss Riesoe’s voice coming closer by the second, and even though he’s usually a bad kid, Miss Riesoe is badder, and so Donghyuck gets up from his bed, already wearing his worn-out shoes, and makes his way down the stairs.

 

He’s cautious, not of the stairs but of Miss Riesoe standing by the end of the staircase. Her hands are on her waist, and Donghyuck can practically see the steam pouring from her ears. It's a familiar sight, one that he witnesses almost every day.

 

Miss Riesoe is scary.

 

Donghyuck thinks it’s because of her late husband. Donghyuck has never met him, but that’s what Miss Peen had told him two years ago when he accidentally elbowed a mug off the kitchen counter.

 

It had been an accident, and Donghyuck was sure that if the broken pieces lying on the floor had been able to speak, they would have come to his defense. Donghyuck believes inanimate objects never lie because there’s no reason for them to. But as honest as they may be, they can’t speak, and so Miss Riesoe had stomped into the kitchen - like the giant living at the top of the Beanstalk - and shouted at him for a good five minutes. 

 

Donghyuck had believed the screaming wasn’t necessary. A silent glare would have sufficed, really. He knew Miss Peen would agree, too, but she just patted his cheeks and smiled at him, told him to clean up the mess. And so he did.

 

As soon as Donghyuck reaches the last step of the staircase and the fumes coming out of Miss Riesoe invade his skin like bullets, he smiles. It’s a crooked smile, the one for when he knows only so much chance of winning. It’s a game he’s played before but with a boss that’s always unpredictable. And scary.

 

“Hello, Miss Riesoe!” Donghyuck chirps.

  
He can see behind her the other boys already gulping down huge spoonful of rice, and what smells like corn soup. They had corn soup on Tuesday. It hasn’t been even two days.

 

“What do you get out of this foolishness?”

 

Final boss will be down in a few, Donghyuck thinks. She’s a little tolerant today.

 

  
Miss Riesoe’s eyes have always been half-lidded, her hair always of the same do: always a tight, clean bun. And she’s really tall. Donghyuck has to crane his neck a little bit just to meet her eyes.

 

“I don’t want to die from a broken leg, Miss Riesoe.”

 

“You won’t die from a broken leg,” she answers, matter-of-factly. “You’d only be handicapped and that would only bring such huge misfortune for me. An able you is already hard enough to take care of.”

  
“Oh, I think a broken leg can kill, Miss Riesoe, but I guess you don’t wanna hear anymore, huh?”

  
This only earns Donghyuck a harrumph from the woman in front of him; she’s probably thinking about the chances of a broken leg actually killing someone.  _Would it actually? Possibly from an untreated fracture. Miss Riesoe remembers something about the possibility of dying from a broken femur though. No matter, Miss Riesoe isn’t the smartest in this house and she knows that._

  
“You get down here,” Miss Riesoe says gruffly, pinching Donghyuck’s left ear, and drags him towards the kitchen.

 

Donghyuck snickers and does a mental hurrah.Final _boss is down!_

 

“Why do you always come down late, Hyuck-ah,” Jaemin says with his mouth full as soon as Donghyuck positions himself on the chair beside him. “Stop being a dick.”

 

  
“I will if you stop talking with your mouth full,” Donghyuck says nonchalantly. He grabs his plate with one hand and stretches his other arm to get some rice which is quite a distance away from his position. His arm blocks Jaemin’s view and earns him a slap, a little harder than necessary, but Donghyuck doesn’t flinch and instead turns his head towards Jaemin and smirks, all the while putting rice on his plate. Jaemin hits his nose with a spoon. 

 

“Ew, Jaem,” Donghyuck grimaces, scrunching his nose. “I can smell your saliva.” 

 

“Says the one who doesn’t hesitate to eat week old gum,” Jaemin says, remembering a scene from the previous months where Donghyuck had found a bit of dried gum under Renjun’s bed. Nobody knew whose it was and they couldn’t care less. Renjun dared him to eat the gum for 5 dollars, Jeno for 10. Donghyuck plopped it into his mouth for free. 

  
Chen Le scoffs. “Could’ve been months old.”

  
“Could’ve been years, it didn’t taste good anymore.” 

  
The kitchen is as noisy as ever, as noisy as a room with thirteen boys can be. It’s a good thing Miss Riesoe didn’t scold them today. On some days she does. The boys always enter the room boisterously, as boisterous as orphaned teenagers can be, and if Miss Riesoe scolds them then they try to behave as much as they can. If she doesn’t, then the scenario is just as is today; noisy and chaotic and happy.

 

Except for Jisung over there, at the far end of the long table. Jisung has always been quiet ever since he arrived three months ago. He talks, but not as loud as the others.

 

“Correction,” Chen Le quips, waving his spoon around, “Not as loud as you. Jisung’s pretty normal. And you,” Chen Le stops waving the spoon and points it at Donghyuck, “Are not.”

  
“Correction, you’re just in love.” Donghyuck snickers as he gulps down another spoonful. The little amount of soup that’s mixed with his rice has somehow escaped Donghyuck’s mouth because it’s trickling down the side of his chin.

 

Chen Le doesn’t react immediately, then rolls his eyes. “Am not.”

  
Jaemin contorts his face in disgust at the sight of Donghyuck. “At least be a little neater when eating or something, Hyuck. It’s the least you can do, really.” 

 

Jaemin and Chen Le have to suffer the consequence of having to sit beside the boy. “Hyuck, fuck off! Get your elbows off the table.”

  
Donghyuck eats with both his elbows on the table, a habit he’s acquired from Jaehyun, a boy from the previous orphanage. He was Donghyuck’s best friend slash the best brother (figure) in the whole universe, _hyung, you’re the best!_ But Jaehyun had left five years ago, off to a new family, when he was seventeen years old (and lucky) and Donghyuck was twelve and crying his heart out, gripping his hyung’s shirt so tightly, when Donghyuck’s please don’t gos deemed useless for every step Jaehyun took on his way outside to unfamiliar faces inside an unfamiliar car. 

 

The table is surrounded by boys. It’s always been boys, never a girl in sight—at least for the two years he’s been here. In like the previous orphanage where he’d get to play with Yuna and Jeol, it was different. Donghyuck wonders why sometimes but doesn’t dive into it all the more. It’s fine the way it is.

  
It’s not always the current group of boys though. Renjun, who’s been here the longest (14 years) had told him they rarely have an adoption, but when there is, it’s never long before someone new walks in.

  
In December of last year, Eunjol got adopted by an elderly couple. He was fifteen and happy. A few months after Eunjol’s absence, Jisung came.

  
Almost all of them are currently close to being of legal age anyway— and most of the couples and families who come almost always wants the little ones – so the possibility of the thirteen off them being adopted is close to zero. 

  
They could have chosen Donghyuck back then. Anyone could have chosen Donghyuck when he was still a kid. But nobody did, and Donghyuck guesses it’s all too late now. Donghyuck thinks he’s just unlucky, as unlucky as the other twelve boys he’s currently living with.

  
Juok, who is a few chairs away from them, has somehow made his way to them; he’s crouching just beside Chen Le’s legs, hands circling his mouth, eyes glinting with mischief and excitement.

  
Miss Riesoe and Miss Peen are both eating on a separate table, just by the huge window away from the boys. Donghyuck is sure Miss Peen had seen Juok crawl his way through them but she pays no mind. Miss Peen is good. Donghyuck likes Miss Peen. Everybody likes Miss Peen.

  
“Did you guys hear about the accident?” Juok half screams, half whispers. 

  
“What?” Chen Le raises a brow. Surely if there had been an accident, everyone in the town would’ve known immediately. It’s a quaint town where everyone knows everyone and everyone knows what everyone else is up to. “Uh, no?”

  
“You sure about that, Juok?” Donghyuck adds, curiosity making him lay his torso on Chen Le’s lap just to be face to face with the bearer of the news. “Old Gup’s never mentioned anything about an accident.” Donghyuck cranes his neck towards Chen Le, “Has there been any accident in here, Lele?” 

  
“Nope, not that I’ve heard of.”

 

“No, not in here, in this town. It happened outside, a few kilometers away,” Juok explains. “Also, stop hanging out with that old man, Hyuck. He’s weird and creepy.”

 

Chen Le snickers. “Well, Hyuck is weird and creepy—ow!” Donghyuck starts to bite Chen Le’s left thigh. “Stop, I’m sorry,” Chen Le hisses, gripping Donghyuck’s messy, brown hair to stop him. 

  
Donghyuck eventually stops biting after a few tugs on his hair and rests his head on his arm, all the while rubbing Chen Le’s thighs to somehow soothe the pain. “And what’s it to us?” Donghyuck asks Juok who’s enjoying the scene in front of him.

  
“Well, see, it’s the  _Lees_ ,” he hisses into Donghyuck’s ear. 

  
Donghyuck’s eyes widen in reply and Chen Le’s mouth drops like he’d seen a ghost. He’d had the same reaction when he mistook Miss Riesoe as an old lady ghost standing in the hallway. It wasn’t a good memory.

  
“Geese?” Jaemin pipes up from beside Donghyuck. “What? Chen Le what did he say?” he asks, poking Chen Le’s shoulder.

  
“Oh my God, Jaem, he means the Lee family,” Jaemin doesn’t have to be able to see Donghyuck’s face to know he’s rolling his eyes. Jaemin immediately covers his mouth as soon as he’s heard the words, because “Not _the_ Lee family?!” he scream-whispers. 

  
Juok nods. “Oh, it’s the Lee family, alright.”

  
“The super rich Lee family that’s living six blocks away from us? Cool ass car? Expensive suits? Stoic parents and stuck-up son?” Jaemin’s upper body is now on Donghyuck’s back, wanting to get closer to Juok and hear more of the story. Chen Le only groans from the added weight.

  
“Yeah, but it’s only the son now.” Juok raises his shoulders and sighs.

  
“What do you mean?” Chen Le asks.

  
“I’m guessing both of the parents died in the accident?” Donghyuck’s face contorts in obvious sympathy. 

 

“Righto. And the cool ass car, Jaem?” Juok drags a finger along his neck. “Not so cool anymore. S’what you get for colliding with a ten-wheeler truck. Shit got wrecked to pieces.”

 

“So how did the son survive? What’s his name again?”

 

“I’ve no idea how, actually.” Juok answers. He rests his chin on his thumb. Probably thinking. Probably fake-thinking. “No clue about the name just yet.”

 

“Huh, that’s sad,” Jaemin heaves himself up off of Donghyuck. “Where’d you get the news anyway?”

 

“And what’s it to us?” Donghyuck adds. “You sound weirdly enthusiastic.”

 

“Oh, you guys won’t believe me,” Juok snickers, enjoying the look of desperation in the boys' faces but continues nonetheless. “I heard Miss Riesoe on the phone this morning, I don’t know who she was talking to but what I do know is this – someone’s going to be knocking on our front door a few days from now and I’m betting my porn magazines it’s the Lee boy.”

 

Donghyuck huffs, not buying it. “Yeah, right. They’re super rich. I’m sure a relative would take care of him.” 

 

“Point taken. But I still stand by my eavesdropping resources. Wanna bet on it?” 

 

Chen Le only shrugs at this. “No thanks.” 

  
“Nobody wants your old porno stacks anyway.”  Jaemin smirks.

  
“You guys suck,” Juok huffs, already crawling his way back to his chair- Miss Riesoe’s got her eyes on them now. “And nobody says you guys would win. My babies aren’t going anywhere.”

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

  
Well, Juok does win. And his porn magazines definitely aren’t going anywhere now. Not that anyone would want it, really. Maybe Khyung would.

 

“I win,” he repeats, triumphantly.

 

“I can see that.” Donghyuck leans over the railing further, craning his neck to see the new boy walking towards their front door. “But him, I can’t.”

 

“You incline any further and you’ll fall flat on your face, Hyuck,” Jaemin snickers while walking towards them. He leans on the railing too, watches the boy having a hard time dragging his huge suitcase on the uneven pavement.

 

Both Miss Riesoe and Miss Peen are standing by the front door.

 

Donghyuck squints harder. “What’s his name again? Milo? Mandy? Minho?”

 

“Mark.” Juok corrects him. He’s staring at his wristwatch with the most confused look on his face. Not even a few seconds pass and his eyes widen. “And I suddenly have to go,” he adds, scurrying inside and then out of their shared bedroom.

 

“Where?” Donghyuck watches as Juok peeks his back inside the room.

 

“I volunteered today,” he shouts, sees Wangyuk sprawled out on his bed, drags him by the hand until he’s up and leads him outside of the room. “And this boy’s coming with me.”

 

“Honestly, Juok, fuck you.” Wangyuk groans but he doesn’t pry Juok’s hand away.

 

“Such a softy, that Wangyuk.” Donghyuck spans his attention back to the boy— _Mark_ , who is already nearing the porch, only to realize he’s already staring back at him. “Wow, he’s got huge eyes.” Donghyuck squints a bit harder this time. “Should I wave to him, Jaem?”

 

Jaemin rests his head on his palm. “I don’t know, I’m not the boss of you.”

 

Donghyuck huffs and pokes Jaemin’s sides. “I’m giving you a one-time permission to be the boss of me,” he says. “So?”

 

Jaemin only laughs at this. “Go for it, then.”

 

And so Donghyuck waves, all-smiles, but Mark is already on the porch, just below them, unable to see as he talks to the two Misses. Donghyuck smacks Jaemin’s arm.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

“Boys, this is Mark Lee. He will be staying with us from now on.” Miss Peen’s voice is lovely and cheerful, her eyes sparkling in delight for no reason at all. She gives Mark a soft pat on the back, gesturing towards the other boys. “Go on,” she says, “They don’t bite.” Miss Peen treats them like five-year-olds sometimes.

 

“Mark Lee,” Donghyuck says to himself, his voice low. “He looks awfully tired.”

 

Jaemin smirks, he raises a brow at Donghyuck. All of the boys are lined up in no particular order in the huge living room, a routine they’d learned for whenever there’s an addition to the house. “Hyuck, his parents literally died one week ago. Funeral was on Wednesday. You know what day it is today?”

 

“Thursday.” Donghyuck deadpans.

 

“You boys introduce yourselves.” Miss Riesoe says from inside the kitchen. See, when you don’t see Miss Riesoe in the backyard with her flowers and gardens and straw hat, crouching and planting (with a frown on her face), she’s usually in the kitchen, baking and cooking and humming a song (still with a frown on her face).

 

Miss Riesoe may be bad and scary but she’s got really cute hobbies.

  
Sometimes Donghyuck thinks to himself if Miss Riesoe is really only putting up a front. Maybe, but then it’ll all be too predictable. And really, if she is, Donghyuck doesn’t see the point.

  
  
Jeno is the first to introduce himself now that Miss Peen has joined Miss Riesoe in the kitchen.

  
  
Jeno’s a cute kid, maybe of the same age as Donghyuck, but he doesn’t really know. What he does know is that he’s got crescents for eyes and he’s really, really nice. They’re not as close as Donghyuck is with Jaemin and Chen Le, but they’re getting there. Sometimes they do volunteer work together. Sometimes they talk about the volunteer work that they sometimes do together. That should count.

  
  
“Hey, I’m Jeno!” There go his eyes again with their disappearing act. “Nice to meet you."

 

Mark isn’t visibly showing any genuine interest; his smile, though polite, looks slightly strained. Donghyuck doesn’t comment on it, however, because he can tell Mark wants to end it all - or at least, flop on his bed. Donghyuck doesn’t know if Mark knows, but everybody else knows all of them share one giant room, so any privacy of some sorts would only be possible inside the bathroom that’s just below the staircase. The bathroom on the second floor has four stalls, and with boys like them cramped up in there, any normal day would be of chaotic shouts and slaps and laughs.

 

It’s a bit shitty, but Mark isn’t going to have much time to adapt to his new environment.

  
  
Kyung introduces himself next, and then Minki, Khyung, Kwon, Juok (“You owe me some hot magazines, man,” which only receives a dazed expression from Mark, and an “I’ll tell you about it later,” from the other. Mark honestly looks like he doesn’t want to hear about it later), Wangyuk, and lastly Renjun, with Jisung trailing behind him.

  
  
“Renjun, second oldest, and this is Jisung,” Renjun nudges Jisung to say hello, and Donghyuck wonders who actually keep track of their ages. Nobody says hyung to anyone in here at all. “He’s one of the youngest.”

  
  
Jisung offers a hand and Mark accepts it without much hesitation. “Hey, nice meeting you.” Jisung’s smile is as equally tight as Mark’s.

  
  
Then it’s Chen Le who gets up from the arm of the old couch then, strutting towards the boy in orange, lightly shoving the other boys that’s circling Mark. “Chen Le's the name!”

  
  
Jaemin follows, probably wanting to get the introductions over and done with. He’s got his lopsided grin going on now. _“It’s my cool smile,”_ Jaemin had said back then when Donghyuck had asked him why he’s got that weird smile on his face when he’d introduced himself to Jisung. _“And it’s not weird,_ ” Jaemin had added.

  
  
It’s weird. It’s really, really weird. Donghyuck thinks its creepy. And when he sees Mark’s face grimace when Jaemin finally nears him, he can safely conclude Mark thinks the same.

  
  
Jaemin calls out to him then so Donghyuck nods, acknowledging the call, and he’s got his mock lopsided grin going on, too. Jaemin rolls his eyes and flips him off with his left hand that’s partly placed behind him. Donghyuck does the same, his fingers covered by the seemingly huge red jacket he’s wearing.

  
  
“Hey, I’m Donghyuck.” He says as soon as he nears Mark.

 

Mark’s hand is surprisingly rough for someone who’d owned a huge mansion and an expensive car. Now, he’s never been friends with a rich person, nor has he ever been five feet away from one – it’s always been Jaemin, Chen Le, and him from Uncle Yi’s front porch and Mark and his parents getting out from their varnished double doors, into their slick black car (Donghyuck’s never bothered to learn what type) and out of their huge gate – but he’s always stuck to the thought that boys like Mark don’t need much work to do for their hands to get as rough as Mark’s. His palm is almost as calloused as Donghyuck’s.

 

  
Khyung’s head pops out from behind Kwon. “Hey, Mark-,” which makes Mark turns his head. to him, “Word of advice?” Mark nods, a little confused.

 

  
“Donghyuck—“ he gestures a hand to Donghyuck, “a threat to humanity. Jaemin too, you see that smile? Jesus.”

 

  
“Do you have an anti-Donghyuck and Jaemin club or something, because honestly, eat shit.” Jaemin sneers.

 

  
“An anti-Donghyuck, Jaemin, and Chen Le club,” Khyung corrects. “Chen Le’s okay but after he pushed me off of the fucking roof because ‘ _Donghyuck told me to,_ ’ I’m not really sure anymore.”

  
“Way to exaggerate, it was a tool shed, not a skyscraper.”

 

  
Mark is just there, standing in the middle of it all, and nobody knows if he’s even listening at all. It’s honestly not the best time to argue because Miss Riesoe had specifically told them to introduce themselves, not start a war, and Chen Le’s got Khyung in a headlock now.

 

  
Mark heaves a quiet sigh when Miss Riesoe peeks out of the kitchen, scowling and saying “Renjun, why aren’t you showing the new boy the room yet? Go on, don’t drag any further. And you stop that right now, Chen Le.”

  
  
Renjun, who was casually sitting on the old couch enthusiastically watching Khyung currently getting strangled by Chen Le, contorts his face in displeasure. “Why’s it always me, Miss Riesoe?”

  
  
You see, Donghyuck is bad, Miss Riesoe is badder, and Renjun is on a completely different scale, because he just doesn’t care

.  
  
If Khyung’s anti-Donghyuck, Jaemin, and Chen Le club is open for the public, then the anti-Renjun club is buried six feet under, not because Renjun is one of the oldest (no one really cares about age except for Renjun himself) but because he is just plain scary sometimes.

  
  
Miss Riesoe folds her arms.  “And why shouldn’t it be you?”

 

“I mean I know I’m the second oldest, that’s a good reason for me to be the acting leader but,” he points to Minki splayed out on the couch beside him, “Get this, I’m the second oldest, Miss Riesoe, and Minki over here is the oldest. The first one to see the light of day. The first one to shit, if you may. Isn’t that a good enough reason for him to show Mark the room?”

  
  
“Brat.” Miss Riesoe huffs, shaking her head. Sometimes Donghyuck thinks Miss Riesoe has a soft spot for Renjun. “Then Minki, go ahead and show the boy. I don’t want to waste my time arguing with— “she spares a glance at Renjun, “The likes of you.”   

  
  
“Oh, forget Minki, let Jisung do it,” Renjun grabs Jisung by the arms, “He’s got nice arms—a little lanky, but good— quite reliable for opening doors. Great for room tours, Miss Riesoe.”

  
  
“Renjun,” it’s Miss Peen who enters the scene then when Miss Riesoe only rolls her eyes and enters the kitchen again, “Or whoever wants to do the honors, please just let Mark rest? Please.”

  
  
It’s a devastating fact for Donghyuck that Renjun wins on almost every argument he has with Miss Riesoe, because when it’s a battle of persuasion between her and Donghyuck, it’s almost always him on the receiving end.

  
  
Maybe she just really likes Renjun, or maybe she just hates Donghyuck. It’s more likely that it’s the latter.

  
  
But Mark visibly softens at this - he’d probably wanted to get out of the conversation right after the introductions ended.

  
  
It’s Jeno who volunteers to do the tour because no one else would budge, and, well, Jeno’s a good guy. Really though, it doesn’t matter who does the touring anyway, because everyone else will end up trailing after them.

  
  
It’s when they’re all crowding up walking up the staircase (Donghyuck’s on the very end of the line with a two-meter gap from the last person) when Mark asks Jeno “So, do I have a roommate or something?”

  
  
Minki snickers from the back, and Chen Le doesn’t hide the amusement on his face. It’s him who answers “Yeah, sure, roommate,” with a playful tone.

 

Donghyuck remembers Jisung had asked the same question when he came here the first time. He steals a glance at Jisung and there’s a hint of mischief in Jisung’s eyes. Donghyuck snickers. It’s only funny when it’s not you.

  
  
Jeno heaves a sigh as soon as they arrive at the door to their bedroom, and as soon as he turns the knob, he says a quick “Sorry.”

  
  
Mark wants to ask why, but when the door fully opens and reveals a huge room with lined beds on both sides, no partitions, no privacy, no anything, he doesn’t say anything. His face, on the other hand, is clearly yelling “ _What the fuck?”_

  
  
“Surprise?” Jeno fakes a smile.

  
  
Mark turns to Renjun with the most exasperated look he’d seen. “Why?”

  
  
Donghyuck scoffs from behind Jaemin, who has already made his way to the front of the group. “Why not?”

  
  
“Jesus,” Mark says under his breath but cautiously proceeds to enter the room anyway, like there are landmines scattered under the floorboards. The other boys follow him inside and almost immediately go to their respective beds. Donghyuck flops down on to his, right by the wall beside the door, which is a few four beds away from Jisung’s that’s right across Jaemin’s, which is two beds away from Chen Le, just beside Renjun’s. Jeno’s bed is right by the huge window. Jeno loves to wake up with the sunlight on his face (just like Khyung, which is why both of them are right across each other with the window on their sides). Donghyuck, however, does not. “ _It’s hot and stuffy and hot. Ugh_.”

  
  
The room isn’t that bad, really, at least for the majority of the boys. But to Mark, it’s messy and dirty. Chen Le and Renjun’s beds are the only okay ones, ‘okay’ meaning their beds aren’t poorly made and there’s not that much of a mess on the floor.

 

  
“There’s your bed,” Jeno points towards the bed that’s two beds away from the door. “You’re on the Sod Gang.”

  
 “ _Sod Gang_?”

 

  
“Your bed’s on the right side of the room. Right side is Sod Gang, left side is Corn Squad.”

 

  
“The heck is that supposed to mean?”

 

  
It’s Jaemin who answers him. “Sod Gang—I don’t know. Donghyuck named your group so I’m pretty sure the meaning doesn’t make any sense at all. The Corn Squad, however, _I_ named.”

 

  
“And?” Mark says.

 

  
“We all love corn soup on the left side.”

 

  
“Okay? And what are the names for?”

 

  
“Oh, we play these games sometimes, which you should definitely join by the way, not that you have any choice. It’s the only time Chen Le and I are separated from Hyuckie.”

 

  
 “Okay?” Mark says once again, terribly confused. “I’m just going to unpack and rest for a little bit, I guess. I’m kind of tired. Really tired, actually.”

 

  
“Yeah, sure,” Jeno nods. “Take your time. You’ve got two hours until dinner.”

 

  
Mark smiles as the room gets noisier. “Thanks.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
